Stourport Conservation Area No. 2 Appraisal and Management Recommendations

The special interest of the area, which it is desirable to preserve or enhance, can be summarised as follows.

6.1          Characteristics of the conservation area

These include:

• The historic development of the area can still be appreciated readily and contributes to our understanding of the town’s origins
• The survival of the Georgian canal and associated buildings and features
• The high survival rate of Georgian houses and their features, including windows and doors
• The low height and domestic scale of the Georgian development
• The historic skyline of shallow pitched roofs and chimney stacks
• The lack of tall buildings in the surrounding areas which ensures the area appears to retain its historic setting
• The ecological and biodiversity value of the area, especially along the canal side
• Important and attractive views in the conservation area from various locations

6.2          Positive contributors

Features which are positive contributors to the character and appearance of the conservation area include:

• The Georgian terraced houses on High Street, York Street, Lion Hill, Lombard Street and Severn Mews
• Detached houses in Mitton Street
• Public houses
• Traditional shopfronts
• The Wesley Methodist Church and the Old School Room (Parkes Passage)
• 19th century buildings in High Street, Mitton Street, Lion Hill and Parkes Passage
• 20th century development, including the HSBC bank and Parkes Quay
• The canal, lock and associated buildings and features
• The War Memorial Garden and Villeneuve-le-Roi Gardens on Mitton Street
• The historic brick and stone boundary walls
• Brick paving, in High Street and along the canal

6.3          Features which detract from the character and appearance of the area.

Generally the conservation area is in very good condition. However, there are a number of aspects which have a detrimental impact:

• Facades which have been painted or rendered. These obscure the original brick facades and can cause deterioration to historic fabric
• Use of modern windows of inappropriate design and materials
• Building elements in poor condition, such as sash windows
• Modern shopfronts and signs of inappropriate design
• Modern installations on facades such as wiring, alarm boxes, lighting and satellite dishes
• Tarmacadam surfaces and patched brick pavements
• Traffic in High Street, York Street, Mitton Street and Lion Hill.
• Modern street lighting columns
• Waste bins stored in front of buildings
• A boards on pavements
• Electrical boxes, for example, outside the Post Office
• The junctions and traffic signs, at Mitton Street/Lion Hill/Vale Road and at High Street/Lombard Street
• The car parking areas between High Street and York Street
• The small car park on Sion Gardens, at the rear of the Wheatsheaf public house on the High Street
• There are only a few buildings which do not contribution positively to the character and appearance of the conservation area. These are discussed below in section 7.4.

7.         Issues, Risks and Opportunities

7.1          Strategic overview

The following section summarises the key issues which have been identified. This list is not exhaustive and additional issues may present themselves in the future. It is therefore important that this document remains flexible, being reviewed and monitored on a regular basis to ensure the following continues to reflect the changing issues which may affect the area.

Strategic issues have been identified within adopted local policy documents (see Appendix III). The issues described relate primarily to the historic built and natural environment, both in the conservation of existing historic fabric and the impact of new development on the character and appearance of the area.

7.2          Alterations and extensions

There are a large number of historic buildings, listed and unlisted, in the conservation area which make a positive contribution to its character and appearance. There is a strong presumption that these historic buildings are retained and where proposals come forward for changes to them, that what makes them special is not lost or harmed through alterations.

In some cases, windows and entrance doors have been replaced, and brick walls have been painted or rendered. Some of this work has diminished the contributions made by the buildings to the character and appearance of the conservation area. The use of UPVC and other modern windows has had a damaging effect on the appearance of some buildings, and this harms the conservation area. There are also a number of modern shopfronts and signs, which are not of high quality and are inappropriate to the building in which they have been installed. Satellite dishes on front facades also harms the character and appearance of buildings and the conservation area generally.  [Plate 7.1].

7.3          Demolition and redevelopment

There majority of existing buildings in the conservation area make a strongly positive contribution to its character and appearance and there is a strong presumption to retain these buildings. Demolition and redevelopment is unlikely to be acceptable. There are limited opportunities for new development.

7.4          Neutral or Negative buildings

There are a small number of buildings which do not make a positive contribution to the character and appearance of the conservation area. Some post-war development has not enhanced the conservation area as well as it might. For example:

• the Post Office, (see Plate 4.5)
• 43 High Street [Plate2].
• 48 High Street
• 1 Lombard Street. [Plate3].
• Post war bungalows in Parkes Passage

If there are proposals in the future to replace these buildings then any new buildings should be designed to be sympathetic to their conservation area context, in accordance with the policies of the local plan, thereby enhancing the significance of the conservation area.

7.5          Buildings at risk

There appear to be few buildings at serious risk of decay in the conservation area. There are notable exceptions:

The former Congregational Chapel, and unlisted Victorian building. Planning permission was granted on 22nd August 2017 (Reference: 17/0516/FULL) for a change of use of the existing community centre to 7 residential apartments. However, the building appears vacant and its condition is deteriorating (see Plates 4.5.8 and 5.4).

The former Haven Cinema (built 1912) at the rear of 1 Lombard Street is an early cinema and of some architectural and historic interest. It appears to be unused and in deteriorating condition. [Plate 7.4]. 

However, there are a number of buildings which appear to be in a poor condition, at least in part. For example, there is evidence of poorly maintained gutters which are full of vegetation and historic timber sash windows which are falling apart. These elements need to be dealt with, otherwise they may lead to further deterioration of these buildings.

If necessary the Council can serve notices under the Planning (Listed Building and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 to require the owners to protect and improve buildings. These include a S.215 Notice, an Urgent Works Notice and a Repairs Notice.

7.6          Vacant or Underused Sites

There are few vacant or underused sites in the conservation area. The car parking at the rear of High Street and York Street may be suitable for appropriately scaled and design new buildings, provided these do not harm the settings of the adjacent listed buildings, and relate positively to the character and appearance of the conservation area.

7.7          Uses

The existing mix of uses, including residential, retail and offices should be maintained. Retail units in High Street are likely to have been struggling economically, especially since the pandemic.

7.8          Climate Emergency

Retrofitting buildings to improve their thermal performance is an important matter but it can have significant implications for the external appearance of traditional buildings in the conservation areas. For example, the use of external wall cladding could change the appearance of buildings significantly, diminish their architectural and historic interest and reduce their contribution to the character and appearance of the conservation areas.

7.9          The Setting of the Conservation Area

Legislation does not refer to the protection of the setting of conservation areas, however the NPPF requires the local planning authority to consider the impact of proposals on both the conservation area and its setting. Development within the conservation areas and within their setting has the potential to harm their significance. Much of the setting of the conservation area is already developed, in the form of low rise housing. This is in keeping with the overall scale of the conservation area.

There is some land in the setting of the conservation area which detracts from it. This includes the surface car park on the south side of Lickhill Road, at the rear of the Swan Inn Public House, 56 High Street.

7.10        Views and Landmarks

There are important views towards the conservation area and from within the conservation area. These need to be protected from inappropriate and intrusive development whether this is inside or outside the conservation area. These views and the important landmark buildings are identified in section 4 above.  

7.11        Public Realm, Street Signage and Street Furniture

One of the key issues is the volume and speed of traffic in the one way system, on High Street, York Street Lion Hill and Mitton Street. This detracts from the environmental quality of these street and the conservation area as a whole. 

The quality of the public realm in the conservation area is generally good. There are traditional street lighting columns in some locations and some pavements are paved with bricks. However, tarmacadam dominates the conservation area. Its replacement with more traditional brick or stone paving could enhance the area. There are areas where lighting could be improved, using more traditional lights, especially in Mitton Street and Lion Hill.

The traffic junctions at the north end of the High Street and at Mitton Street/Lion Hill are areas which could be redesigned to improve the pedestrian environment and enhance the character and appearance of these parts of the conservation area. [Plate 7.5].

There is also the problem of waste bin storage on pavements which has a harmful impact on the appearance of some streets, such as Parkes Passage (see plate 5.10). 

7.12        Open space

The existing public open spaces, the canal, the War Memorial Garden and the Villeneuve-le-Roi Gardens are important contributors to the character and appearance of the conservation area and need to be protected and maintained.

7.13        Archaeology

Development in the conservation area may potentially affect archaeological remains and the implications of proposals will need to be carefully assessed. In some cases, detailed research or below ground archaeology investigation may be required to enable a full understanding of the impact of the proposals.